Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium

Congress passed a law decades ago to apologize to people who were exposed to radiation when the U.S. tested nuclear weapons. New Mexico’s never been included even though the first detonation of a nuclear bomb in human history happened right here in 1945.

The first time an atomic bomb was ever detonated, it happened in New Mexico. The Trinity test spread radiation far and wide here in 1945. People fighting for the health effects of the blast to be acknowledged by the federal government released the first extensive report on Friday, Feb. 10.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park was formally established last year and plans are underway to create facilities in Los Alamos, Oakridge, Tennessee, and Hanford, Washington. The idea is to tell the stories behind the creation of the first atomic bomb. But critics worry the new park could glorify or gloss over controversial issues, such as using the weapons on Japan, and the impacts on communities from nuclear weapons testing.

July marked the 69th anniversary of the world's first detonation of an atomic bomb, in New Mexico. And on Monday, “Manhattan,” a fictional show about the scientists who made the bomb, premiered on WGN America.

We’ll be talking about this moment in U.S. history with an eye on how it affected New Mexicans. Did you know there were people living nearby when the Trinity test took place? What are the long-term effects of the Trinity test? What does it mean to us today that the first atomic bomb was detonated right here in our home state?